Christian Christiansen,Harish Prasad, Kenny Gossett, Hunter Jones, Ray Bentley
Folks, I’m a bit distraught. There are only two more games left in the Simulation Football League’s 13th season! We’ve seen some crazy football over the past 11 weeks, and with it, some wild Power Rankings movement. Now that we’re getting into the end of the playoff push, we’re starting to see some solidification of who but definitely not any where. But, as noted further into this week’s rankings, if we don’t give definitive numbers, the pitchforks and torches will come out, so we here at Power Rankings will oblige.
EDITOR’S NOTE: There was serious argument about the last three places in this week’s Power Rankings. Each team has a legitimate claim to the bottom spot, and at the last second, but in the interest of maintaining an order of rankings, I sorted them into the order seen so as to at least briefly recognize the win of one of the teams. Having said that, without consistency in wins into the end of the season, it is very likely that all three teams will occupy the final spot at least once in the remaining weeks.
| Rank | Team | Record (Movement) | Recap |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denver Nightwings | 9 - 1 (+1) | For Denver to reclaim their top spot, they would have had to do the impossible and stop the unstoppable Reggie Streeter. The Nightwings... did just that, holding the offensive star to only two rushing touchdowns and an average performance, while Denver played lights out on both sides of the ball. Denver's remaining schedule sees them at the bottom-ranked Pharaohs, followed by a Vice Wars finale hosted by the Las Vegas Fury, and while they've secured a playoff spot, we don't expect them to take their foot off the gas. They've got a #1 seed to defend, after all. |
| 2 | Mexico City Aztecs | 8 - 2 (+3) | Mexico City takes the week off, and jumps three spots for it? Well, admittedly, they did have a little bit of help with the Vultures and Tyrants both falling this week, but the Aztecs are playing at the next level offensively, with MVP hopeful Matt Willson racking up 31 touchdowns to only 13 interceptions in 10 games. Mexico City spends their final two games on the road at Houston and then Tallahassee, but if they can secure a victory in either of those two clashes, they'll have their best record since Season 9 - and, as Ray Bentley refuses to stop yelling about it, we all know how that ended. |
| 3 | Tallahassee Pride | 8 - 2 (+1) | The Pride have also risen thanks to bye week shenanigans, but it's impossible to deny that Frank Goodin's team has been impressive this season. Christian Christiansen and company are having a stellar offensive year, while the opposite side of the ball has been clicking with the re-acquisition of Kevin Bane. Tallahassee's final weeks are miniature playoff matches in themselves, as they could play spoiler to the Corsairs postseason dreams, and their final matchup against Mexico City will likely sort out home field advantage for the playoffs. Is this the season the Pride will roar victoriously?... |
| 4 | Alaska Storm | 7 - 3 (+2) | ...or will the Alaska Storm be, once again, the thorn in the Pride's proverbial paw? That's the question being asked, as the Alaska Storm are putting on their late-season game face once again, handily felling the Baltimore Vultures 14-33. Unfortunately for Alaska, though their heroics against Baltimore helped ensure the Storm lives to play another day, they still don't rise to the top; they do have three losses, and two of them come from the previously ranked teams. Fourth place doesn't normally suit Mighty Max Paul's team, though, so we'll just have to keep a Storm watch out for the remaining weeks of the season. |
| 5 | Baltimore Vultures | 8 - 2 (-4) | You would think that a creature capable of flight wouldn't free-fall like the Vultures have this week, but we also thought the contest between them and the Storm would be a much closer affair. It was more of a one-sided drubbing, as the Vultures limped out of The Eye with 14 points to Alaska's 33. Baltimore shouldn't worry too much, though. They still hold a tiebreaker over the Aztecs and Tyrants, and regardless of the outcome of the next two weeks, they'll be in the postseason. For how long, though, is now anyone's guess. |
| 6 | Seattle Tyrants | 8 - 2 (-3) | Tyrants are supposed to rule with an iron fist, not let the Desperados run the show! Unfortunately for Seattle, that's what happened in a last-minute heartbreaker of a loss against Tulsa. Much like the Vultures, though, the Tyrants shouldn't worry too much. They too hold a tiebreaker over Mexico City at the moment, and have been assured a spot in the playoffs. Let's hope they're able to shake this one off and get back to form. Their seeding very much depends on it. |
| 7 | Chicago Wildcats | 7 - 3 (0) | Chicago is the unfortunate recipient of a loss this week. Making it sting just a tad harder is the fact that it was at home; worse yet, to a team under .500. The Wildcats have a 7-3 record this season, but several of their games have been close enough to push them into overtime, making this team a little worrying with the postseason looming. Chicago has a good chance to make it in, but then what? Hopefully by then, the team will have figured it out. |
| 8 | Atlanta Swarm | 6 - 4 (0) | Atlanta won a defensive battle against Charleston, and are sitting at 8th in the standings. They have a good chance at making the playoffs with a home game against OKC; however, they will have a tough road game to end the regular season at Seattle - with a win there having major seeding implications, considering Seattle's current record. |
| 9 | Queen City Corsairs | 5 - 5 (0) | The Corsairs just dropped an important game to Sioux Falls by 9 points. While they are currently still in a playoff spot, they were disappointed to not come away with this one, as Queen City closes the season out with 2 tough games against Tallahassee on the road, then host Baltimore in Week 13. |
| 10 | Sioux Falls Sparrows | 5 - 5 (+1) | Siox Falls is making a good effort at maintaining their playoff spot by beating Queen City. They currently sit at 9th place, but they have a tough road game at the 3 time defending champion Alaska Storm. Then, in the final week, they go on the road to Chicago. So, while the schedule doesn't favor them much, their future is definitely in their hands - can they fly themselves into the playoffs? |
| 11 | Tulsa Desperadoes | 5 - 5 (+3) | Continuing the week of upsets, Tulsa pulled off an impressive win against Seattle. Currently, the Desperados sit at 11th, just 1 spot out of the playoffs. They'll close out on the road against Charleston in Week 12, and at home in an interstate battle against the Renegades in Week 13. If Tulsa can secure the wins, they very well could make it into the postseason. |
| 12 | Las Vegas Fury | 5 - 6 (0) | The Las Vegas Fury are making a late playoff push, but are on the outside looking in (sitting at 12th). They took a step in the right direction by beating the New Orleans Pharaohs. Las Vegas has a week 12 bye, but will close out the season at home against Denver in the season's second episode of Vice Wars. The Fury can get in the playoffs, but they'll definitely need some help from Lady Luck, as well as to be able to beat the red hot Nightwings. |
| 13 | Charleston Predators | 3 - 7 (0) | Charleston could only put up 6 on Atlanta, and lost another defensive battle. At this point, with only 2 games left in the season against Tulsa and Carolina, they are sitting at 16th place, so playoffs, while technically possible, are doubtful for the Predators. |
| 14 | London Knights | 4 - 6 (-4) | London had quite the eventful week, which kicked off with owner Liam Crowter shocking fires of Head Coach Gerald Smith and General Manager Jeff Melinyshyn to shake up the staff. Unfortunately for the Knights, the turbulence in the front office was reflected on the field, as the week closed out by a heavy defeat at the hands of the Denver Nightwings. We will see how this shakes out for London in the future, as without a guaranteed berth into the postseason, London seems poised to start anew in Season 14. |
| 15 | Houston Hyenas | 3 - 7 (+4) | Houston is the beneficiary of another wonky performance out of the Windy City this week, clinching their third win of the season. While one of the longer shots of the postseason melee, their strong defensive performance against a likely playoff contender should make their next two opponents, Mexico City and the Storm, think twice about waltzing in and taking an easy victory. If anything, these dawgs are going to make them work for it, and best case scenario? Playoff seeding gets jumbled up by Houston. Who gets the last laugh then? |
| 16 | Vancouver Legion | 4 - 6 (-1) | Our third team to have their bye this week, and just in the nick of time, as their last win was secured over a suddenly-effective St. Louis team. Vancouver can still make the postseason, but their path their is an almost Rube Goldberg-like contraption of both skill and luck; it would require that they not only win out, but several other teams losing and the planets aligning just so. This being the SFL: never say never, because as we all know, anything is possible. |
| 17 | San Francisco Sharks | 4 - 7 (-1) | Well now, San Francisco! The Sharks have officially ruined a perfect season by losing - a phrase which I hope to never have to write for the rest of my professional career. With a dismal 13-31 loss against perpetually 21st ranked St. Louis Gladiators, the Sharks put their playoff hopes in an absolute tailspin from which they may not be able to recover. |
| 18 | Oklahoma City Renegades | 3 - 7 (-1) | Oklahoma City nabs their third win of the season against the Carolina Skyhawks. While the Renegades didn't have too much trouble in their victory, the final score of 20-27 doesn't do much to inspire hope as their opponents the Skyhawks have only a single victory all season. Two games remain on the Renegades' schedule, against adversaries that are each seeking to punch their postseason ticket. Just Oklahoma City's luck: they control the playoff destiny of two other teams, and not their own. |
| 19 | New Orleans Pharaohs | 2 - 8 (+1) | We reach the final circle of power rankings (eat your heart out, Dante). For all intents and purposes, it could be considered that all three of these teams (New Orleans, St. Louis and Carolina) are tied for 21st place, but seeing as how that would cause an uproar and a furor, here they are ranked anyways. The Pharaohs defense is 2nd from last as far as points allowed, and their offense isn't faring much better. However, they have managed to eke out two wins, against the Swarm (a playoff contender) and the Skyhawks, and by virtue of that, they are this week's "19th place." |
| 20 | St. Louis Gladiators | 1 - 9 (+1) | Poor, poor St. Louis. Having been unable to get a win all season, the Gateway City... wait, what? They did what now? Well, congratulations, St. Louis! With the addition of Cody Scott as their OC late in the season, the Gladiators have been showing signs of life for the past few weeks, and it came to a head with a confident three-score victory over the San Francisco Sharks, 13-31. Unfortunately for St. Louis, it's now Week 12, so a turnaround could be short-lived, but for the time being, it's worth celebrating by bumping them up at least one spot. While their season-long stats are some of the lowest in the league, a win this week puts them above Carolina simply by virtue of its strength: the Skyhawks Week 7 victory over the Hyenas was by a single point; the Gladiators added a W to their history books with a +18. |
| 21 | Carolina Skyhawks | 1 - 9 (-4) | Some weeks, Carolina looks like a team that just had a hand of bad luck; others, luck never seemed to enter the picture in the first place. Carolina has jokingly taken on the slogan "Embrace the Suck" with their Season 13 campaign, and with St. Louis slamming a victory out of their park, I can no longer stop the Skyhawks from wholly owning it. Again, a disclaimer: While Carolina is ranked next to the number 21, please do not consider it definite; all three of these final teams have a legitimate claim to the throne. This is just how the cards happened to be dealt this particular week. |
